No. 4 Florida State holds off rival Miami, moves to 10-0 with 27-20 victory

Add one more wild finish to one of the wildest rivalries in college sports.

With the Florida State football team clinging to a seven-point lead and less than three minutes remaining Saturday night, the Seminoles stopped freshman quarterback Emory Williams right near the first-down marker on a fourth-down carry. The referees ruled that Williams got the first down, but he sustained a major arm injury on the play and had to leave the game.

That forced the Hurricanes to turn back to former starter Tyler Van Dyke, who had been benched after multiple poor performances. And Van Dyke’s final pass, on a fourth-and-10, would end up being intercepted by FSU defensive back Jarrian Jones.

The interception sealed a 27-20 victory for No. 4 Florida State and improved the Seminoles’ record to 10-0 on the year and 8-0 in the ACC. Miami falls to 6-4 and 2-4.

The win means that senior Jordan Travis becomes the first FSU starting quarterback to post a 3-0 record against the Hurricanes. But he had plenty of help getting it done, with one of the biggest boosts in the second half coming from receiver Keon Coleman.

First, Coleman returned a punt 57 yards to give the Florida State offense the ball deep in Miami territory. Then he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Travis to give the Seminoles a 27-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

But just when it looked like Florida State was going to close the door, the Hurricanes struck back with an 85-yard strike from Williams to receiver Jacolby George. It was George’s second touchdown catch of the day, and it cut Florida State’s lead to 27-20 with just over eight minutes remaining,

The rivalry showdown was back-and-forth all night.

With the game tied at halftime, Norvell got aggressive and called an onside kick to start the second half. And even though it appeared to be a great kick with a high second bounce, Miami was able to recover it and start off at the Seminoles’ 47-yard line. The Hurricanes then cashed in with a 51-yard field goal by Andres Borregales to take a 13-10 lead.

Florida State came roaring back, however, with scores on their next two drives.

A 62-yard pass from Travis to Ja’Khi Douglas set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s second field of the game, which tied it at 13-13. Then Trey Benson hit a perfectly executed counter play for a 38-yard touchdown run that gave the Seminoles a 20-13 advantage.

Florida State actually raced to an early 10-0 lead and appeared to be in control in the early going. First, Benson capped off a 10-play, 55-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. Then Fitzgerald connected on a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

But Miami rallied in the closing minutes before halftime to tie the game at 10-10. Williams hit receiver George for a 3-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to cut the lead to three points, then the Hurricanes cashed in on great field position to kick a short field goal before halftime.

Travis finished the night with 265 passing yards and one touchdown on 19-of-31 passing, and Benson rumbled for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts.

The Seminoles also got a lift from the returns of Coleman and Johnny Wilson from injuries. Coleman caught four passes, including the one touchdown, and Wilson caught five passes for 82 yards.

FSU returns to action next Saturday against visiting North Alabama before finishing the regular season at rival Florida on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete postgame coverage.

***THE BIG GAME SPECIAL! 50% off an annual membership for first time subscribers***

Join Warchant for Market-Leading Florida State coverage!

Warchant.com provides just what passionate FSU fans expect: Market-leading coverage of Seminole athletics and recruiting.

2023 is a season full of promise for Seminole football! Join the largest Florida State fan community and receive all the benefits that come with it:

• Elite team and recruiting coverage of the program you love.
• Exclusive video and board Q&A’s with Warchant staff.
• Interaction with the most passionate Seminole fans across multiple board forums.
• 10% off all Garnet & Gold purchases while holding an active membership. Member exclusive discounts once a month at even higher savings.
• Access to Warchant member benefits and giveaways at site events.
• So much more!

SIGN UP: Join Warchant’s FSU Community for 50% off an annual membership!

Join us today!

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.